Music students came together for a noteworthy event Thursday evening, 16 May. The Spring Music Night drew close to a hundred performers to the spotlight and around the same number of audience members to watch them. Altogether the event ran for two hours from 7 to 9 PM with ensembles from all grades, extra-curricular groups and classes, and a modestly sized but attentive audience.
The show kicked off with the ninth grade vocals class singing “Go the Distance” and “We are the World”. Tenth grade guitar students entertained the crowd with jaunty tunes, while the ninth grade band transformed listeners with a Transformers medley. Cheers followed the Stage Band’s “Take Five”. Teachers traded lesson plans for snazzy guitars as they closed the first half of the show.
The evening started up again with the celebration of one student’s achievements from each music class. Moujan Saderi, Sabeeka Zaidi, Ira Silang, Adul Rahman Hossein, Michael Ngo, Fahim Baten, Dima Paramonov, and Victoria So all received awards. The experienced grade 11 and 12 band resumed play as they executed two medleys, “Music for a Darkened Theatre” (which is just as fine for darkened school cafeterias) and “Cirque Du Soleil”. Silencing even the rowdy period 5 audience during mini Music Night was the grade 11 guitar class which returned to the stage with the purposeful “To the Fifth Power” to command the attention of the evening’s audience as well. Students of Concert Band, like those in Stage Band, have been dedicating an afternoon a week since the start of the school year until disruption by Bill 115. Their rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite”, though out of season, was welcomed by those in attendance. The recently attained Latin jazz “Oye Como Va” received no less applause.
Last but not least was the school’s Show Choir. They too featured a diverse medley of songs including “We Are Young”, “O’ Valancia”, “Some Nights”, “Tonight” (West Side Story), “Jai Ho”, and a K-pop medley, all interspersed with “Tonight” (reprise). Their singing was accompanied with dancing and piano. The group performed satisfactorily, executing Gangnam style with enthusiasm despite technical difficulties (which are almost obligatory for any music show).
Throughout the night, MCs Jamie Kwan and Dima Paramonov kept the audience groaning with puns such as “Why was the string player kicked out of the orchestra? Because he was too violin-t!”. Stage crew also worked to make the event a success, and thanks go to the countless staff and students involved.
A CD of the Spring Music Night will be available for purchase shortly.
